Young aspiring chef falls from seat before flight’s takeoff, ‘dies on the spot’

A young Melbourne woman has tragically died on an international Qantas flight.

Manpreet Kaur, who had dreams of becoming a chef, boarded the aircraft ready to fly from Melbourne to the Indian city of Delhi on June 20.

It was going to be the first time she would see her family in four years, but sadly, she never made it.

According to a friend, the 24-year-old student reportedly “felt unwell” hours before arriving at the airport but managed to board the flight without any issues.

However, when she went to put on her seatbelt, Ms Kaur apparently fell to the floor and “died on the spot.”

The plane was still attached to the gate in Melbourne when cabin crew and emergency services rushed to help her.

“When she got on the plane, she was struggling to put her seatbelt on,” her friend Gurdip Grewal told the Herald Sun.

“Just before her flight started, she fell in front of her seat and died on the spot.”

It is understood that Ms Kaur likely died of tuberculosis, an infectious disease that mostly affects the lungs, according to the Herald Sun.

Her roommate, Kuldeep, said Ms Kaur had worked at Australia Post while studying cookery, with dreams of one day becoming a chef.

“She was kind and honest,” she told the outlet.

“She loved to travel with her friends around Victoria.”

Ms Kaur was finally returning to India to see her parents for the first time since she first moved to Australia in March 2020.

A GoFundMe page has been created for Ms Kaur to help her family.

“Our dear friend Manpreet left us too soon, leaving a void in our lives that can never be filled,” the page reads.

“As we grieve her passing, we want to come together to honor her memory and support her family in their time of need.

“As we say our final goodbyes, every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to our goal. Your support means the world to us and Manpreet’s family.”

A Qantas spokesperson told news.com.au that their “thoughts are with her family and loved ones.”